Methods and Apparatus Related to Controlling Access to Communications Resources

1. A method of operating a wireless terminal, comprising: generating QoS tokens within said wireless terminal at a rate which is a function of a QoS level associated with the wireless terminal, said wireless terminal being subjected to a limit of a maximum number of tokens which can be accumulated; replacing a token with a shortest remaining life span with a newly generated token when addition of said newly generated token would exceed said limit on token accumulation; and using a generated token to control access to a communications resource.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein using a generated token to control access to a communications resource includes at least one of: picking a resource on which to transmit a signal based on said generated token; and communicating QoS level information in a signal used to gain access to said communications resource.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said QoS tokens are shared by a plurality of applications on said wireless terminal, one of said applications having latency dependent data to communicate and another one of said applications having best effort data to communicate, the method further comprising: allocating QoS tokens to latency dependent data prior to allocating QoS tokens to best effort data.

4. A method of operating a wireless terminal, comprising: generating QoS tokens within said wireless terminal at a rate which is a function of a QoS level associated with the wireless terminal, said QoS tokens being shared by a plurality of applications on said wireless terminal, one of said applications having latency dependent data to communicate and another one of said applications having best effort data to communicate; allocating QoS tokens to latency dependent data prior to allocating QoS tokens to best effort data, allocating QoS tokens including: allocating a QoS token which is about to expire to best effort data when there is no latency dependent data waiting to be sent; and using a generated token to control access to a communications resource.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein said QoS tokens include tokens of a plurality of different types, said plurality of different types including a first type and a second type, said first type being a persistent token type and said second type being a non-persistent token type.

6. A method of operating a wireless terminal, comprising: generating QoS tokens within said wireless terminal at a rate which is a function of a QoS level associated with the wireless terminal, said QoS tokens including tokens of a plurality of different types, said plurality of different types including a first type and a second type, said first type being a persistent token type and said second type being a non-persistent token type; using a generated token to control access to a communications resource; and wherein said generated token is a persistent token, said persistent token expiring when access to said communications resource is obtained.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein said generated token is a non-persistent token, said non-persistent token expiring when the token is used to control access to said communications resource.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein more non-persistent tokens are generated in a time period than persistent tokens are generated in the same time period.

9. A wireless terminal comprising: means for generating QoS tokens within said wireless terminal at a rate which is a function of a QoS level associated with the wireless terminal, said wireless terminal being subjected to a limit of a maximum number of tokens which can be accumulated; means for replacing a token with a shortest remaining life span with a newly generated token when addition of said newly generated token would exceed said limit on token accumulation; and means for using a generated token to control access to a communications resource.

10. The wireless terminal of claim 9 , wherein said means for using a generated token to control access to a communications resource includes at least one of: means for picking a resource on which to transmit a signal based on said generated token; and means for communicating QoS level information in a signal used to gain access to said communications resource.

11. The wireless terminal of claim 9 , wherein said QoS tokens are shared by a plurality of applications on said wireless terminal, one of said applications having latency dependent data to communicate and another one of said applications having best effort data to communicate, the wireless terminal further comprising: means for allocating QoS tokens to latency dependent data prior to allocating QoS tokens to best effort data.

12. The wireless terminal of claim 11 , wherein said means for allocating tokens includes: means for allocating a QoS token which is about to expire to best effort data when there is no latency dependent data waiting to be sent.

13. The wireless terminal of claim 9 , wherein said QoS tokens include tokens of a plurality of different types, said plurality of different types including a first type and a second type, said first type being a persistent token type and said second type being a non-persistent token type.

14. A computer program product for use in a wireless terminal, the computer program product comprising: a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising: code for causing at least one computer to generate QoS tokens within said wireless terminal at a rate which is a function of a QoS level associated with the wireless terminal, said wireless terminal being subjected to a limit of a maximum number of tokens which can be accumulated; code for causing said at least one computer to replace a token with a shortest remaining life span with a newly generated token when addition of said newly generated token would exceed said limit on token accumulation; and code for causing said at least one computer to use a generated token to control access to a communications resource.

15. A wireless terminal comprising: at least one processor configured to: generate QoS tokens within said wireless terminal at a rate which is a function of a QoS level associated with the wireless terminal, said wireless terminal being subjected to a limit of a maximum number of tokens which can be accumulated; replace a token with a shortest remaining life span with a newly generated token when addition of said newly generated token would exceed said limit on token accumulation; and use a generated token to control access to a communications resource; and memory coupled to said at least one processor.

16. The wireless terminal of claim 15 , wherein said at least one processor is further configured to perform at least one of: picking a resource on which to transmit a signal based on said generated token; and communicating QoS level information in a signal used to gain access to said communications resource, as part of being configured to use a generated token to control access to a communications resource.

17. The wireless terminal of claim 15 , wherein said QoS tokens are shared by a plurality of applications on said wireless terminal, one of said applications having latency dependent data to communicate and another one of said applications having best effort data to communicate, and wherein said at least one processor is further configured to: allocate QoS tokens to latency dependent data prior to allocating QoS tokens to best effort data.

18. The wireless terminal of claim 17 , wherein said at least one processor is further configured to: allocate a QoS token which is about to expire to best effort data when there is no latency dependent data waiting to be sent, as part of being configured to allocate QoS tokens.

19. The wireless terminal of claim 15 , wherein said QoS tokens include tokens of a plurality of different types, said plurality of different types including a first type and a second type, said first type being a persistent token type and said second type being a non-persistent token type.

20. A wireless terminal, comprising: means for generating QoS tokens within said wireless terminal at a rate which is a function of a QoS level associated with the wireless terminal, said QoS tokens being shared by a plurality of applications on said wireless terminal, one of said applications having latency dependent data to communicate and another one of said applications having best effort data to communicate; means for allocating QoS tokens to latency dependent data prior to allocating QoS tokens to best effort data, said means for allocating QoS tokens including: means for allocating a QoS token which is about to expire to best effort data when there is no latency dependent data waiting to be sent; and means for using a generated token to control access to a communications resource.

21. A wireless terminal, comprising: at least one processor configured to: generate QoS tokens within said wireless terminal at a rate which is a function of a QoS level associated with the wireless terminal, said QoS tokens being shared by a plurality of applications on said wireless terminal, one of said applications having latency dependent data to communicate and another one of said applications having best effort data to communicate; allocate QoS tokens to latency dependent data prior to allocating QoS tokens to best effort data, said processor being further configured to allocate a QoS token which is about to expire to best effort data when there is no latency dependent data waiting to be sent, as part of being configured to allocate QoS tokens; and use a generated token to control access to a communications resource; and a memory coupled to said at least one processor.

22. A wireless terminal, comprising: means for generating QoS tokens within said wireless terminal at a rate which is a function of a QoS level associated with the wireless terminal, said QoS tokens including tokens of a plurality of different types, said plurality of different types including a first type and a second type, said first type being a persistent token type and said second type being a non-persistent token type; and means for using a generated token to control access to a communications resource, said generated token being a persistent token, said persistent token expiring when access to said communications resource is obtained.

23. A wireless terminal, comprising: at least one processor configured to: generate QoS tokens within said wireless terminal at a rate which is a function of a QoS level associated with the wireless terminal, said QoS tokens including tokens of a plurality of different types, said plurality of different types including a first type and a second type, said first type being a persistent token type and said second type being a non-persistent token type; and use a generated token to control access to a communications resource, said generated token being a persistent token, said persistent token expiring when access to said communications resource is obtained; and a memory coupled to said at least one processor.